Tonight, the Empire State Building glowed above New York City, beaming colors of red, gold, and blue. The bright display stood proudly above the city to celebrate a victory over 3,000 miles away. For the sixth time in tournament history, the U.S. under-20 team took home the gold at this year’s International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship.
Each year, the tournament begins in late December and stretches into the new year. The U.S. began their run on December 21, in a match-up that would be a preview of the gold-medal game. They defeated Sweden 5-3 in a comeback victory, with both Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith contributing two goals a piece. The Americans outshot the Swedes 29-25 and went 2-2 on the power play. Two days later, on the 23rd, the U.S. took long-time rivals, Canada, to overtime, where Lane Hutson chipped one past the Canadian goaltender
Not only did the U.S. go on to go undefeated in pre-tournament play, but they continued the trend into the preliminary and final rounds, in which they won every single game. The Americans defeated both Slovakia and Switzerland by eight in the preliminary round. With 14 players tallying points on the scoresheet, the U.S. breezed past Switzerland 11-3. Jimmy Snuggerud, Frank Nazar III, and Cutter Gauthier each had a four-point effort, with Snuggerud scoring a hattrick. Against Slovakia, goalie Trey Augustine stopped 40 of 42 shots, a save percentage of 95.2%, making the final score 10-2. Captain Rutger McGroarty scored a hattrick, contributing to the blowout win.
However, not all of their wins came so easy. The U.S. took an early lead against Czechia, with Issac Howard scoring a goal one minute and twelve seconds into the first period, yet the rest of the game would be a battle. Czechia scored two goals to follow Howard’s, putting the U.S. behind. Will Smith scored to tie the game at 2-2, but soon after, Czechia struck again, making it 3-2. With six minutes left in the second period, defenseman Ryan Chelsey tied up the game once more. The third period went scoreless, taking the match-up into overtime, which ended going scoreless as well. It all came down to the shootout. Entering the seventh round of the shootout, Issac Howard netted one past the Czech goaltender, awarding the Americans a hard fought victory.
The U.S. finished the preliminary round first in their group, making them the top seed. They faced Latvia in the quarterfinals, defeating them 7-2. By the end of the first period, the Americans were up 3-1, with goals from Drew Fortescue, Gabe Perrault, and Danny Nelson. Perrault recorded another goal to end the second period, along with an assist on Smith’s second period goal, ending the night as player of the game with three points. Also recording three points in the matchup were Cutter Gauthier and Seamus Casey, who both tallied three assists.
Two days later, on January 4, the boys faced off against Finland, in what would be a nail biting victory. At the conclusion of the first period, the U.S. trailed 2-0. They would need to fight through the rest of the game to secure the win, and that’s exactly what they did. Twelve minutes into the second period, Jimmy Snuggerud made it a one goal game, off of assists from Will Smith and Seamus Casey. Only four minutes later, Smith scored one of his own, tying the game at two. With five minutes remaining in regulation, the game was still tied when Finland’s Kasper Kulonummi got called for hooking, putting the Americans on the power play. With thirteen seconds left of the man advantage, Cutter Gautheir scored, propelling the Americans past the Finns in a 3-2 victory.
After years of dreaming for a moment like this, the U.S. players matched-up against Sweden on January 5. Their walkout to the ice was immediately met by boos from the Swedish fans. From that point on, it was up to the U.S. to embrace, as Captain Rutger McGroarty called, the “villain role.” The U.S. struck first, with a tip-in from Gabe Perrault. Four goals were scored in the second period, with the first coming from Sweden, the next two from USA’s Issac Howard, and the last coming from Sweden again. The period concluded with a score of 3-2, the Americans holding onto their one goal lead. Emotions were high and the intensity matched that. There were twenty more minutes between them and a gold medal, and it was clear, they could feel it. One minute and nineteen seconds into the final period, Zeev Buium gave the Americans a much needed insurance goal, putting them up by two. Fifteen minutes later, Ryan Leonard extended the lead to three off of an assist from Perrault. To seal the victory, McGroarty hit the empty net with 3 minutes to go. And the rest was history.
Prior to the start of the tournament, McGroarty, in an interview with NHL Network, said that “We know that we’re going there [Sweden] to win gold, and anything else is unacceptable…We’re hungry for a gold.” Through an undeniable drive, unmatched bond, and relentless effort, the boys were able to bring their lifelong dream to fruition. As McGroarty lifted the golden trophy into the air, looks of pure joy and pride spread across the team. The gold medals dangled from their necks as they belted the national anthem as international champions.
The USA’s first World Juniors victory took place in 2004. Twenty years later, and the Americans are still golden.
